Literary business card about the life and work of Derzhavin. The composition "Life and work of G

The great Russian poet Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin was born in the Kazan province in 1743. After the initial home teaching of literacy, tsifiri and the German language, under the guidance of churchmen, the exiled German Roze, Lebedev and Poletaev, Derzhavin was sent to the Kazan gymnasium that opened in 1759. Here Derzhavin especially became addicted to drawing and fell in love with engineering. When the director of the gymnasium, M.I. Verevkin, presented the works of the best students, including Gabriel Derzhavin, to the curator Shuvalov, Derzhavin was declared the conductor of the engineering building. At the beginning of 1762, a demand came that Derzhavin should appear for service in Preobrazhensky regiment... Shuvalov apparently forgot that he himself assigned Derzhavin to the engineering corps. Subsequently, Gabriel Romanovich did not have to replenish his education, and his absence is reflected in all of his poetry. He himself understood this; later he wrote: “I confess my defect is that I was brought up at that time and within those limits of the empire, when and where the enlightenment of sciences did not fully penetrate not only the minds of the people, but also the state to which I belong ".

Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin

12 years old military service are the darkest and most dismal period in the biography of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. At first, he had to live in the barracks, along with the soldiers. There was nothing to think about literary creation and science: only at night it was possible to read something and write poetry. Since Derzhavin did not have "protectors", he moved extremely slowly in the service. After the accession to the throne of Catherine II, Derzhavin asked Alexei Orlov himself by letter for a promotion, and only thanks to this he received the rank of corporal. After a year's leave, Gavriil Romanovich returned to St. Petersburg and from that time began to live in the barracks with the nobles. If the material conditions improved somewhat, then new inconveniences appeared. Derzhavin began to indulge in revelry and cards. After a second vacation in Kazan (1767), Derzhavin stopped in Moscow and spent about 2 years here. Here riotous life almost led Derzhavin to death: he became a sharper and indulged in all sorts of tricks for money. Finally, in 1770, he decided to leave Moscow and change his lifestyle.

In 1772, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin received his first officer's rank. From that time on, he begins to withdraw from bad society, and if he plays cards, then "out of necessity for a living." In 1773 A. I. Bibikov was entrusted with the suppression of the Pugachev rebellion. For the production of investigative cases, Bibikov took with him, among other things, Derzhavin, at his personal request. Gabriel Romanovich developed a vigorous activity during the Pugachev era. At first, he drew Bibikov's attention with his investigation in the case of the surrender of Samara. While in Kazan, Derzhavin, on behalf of the nobles, composed a speech in response to the rescript of Catherine II, which was then published in St. Petersburg Vedomosti. In his actions Derzhavin was always distinguished by a certain independence, which placed him high in the eyes of some of his superiors, but at the same time made him enemies among the local authorities. Derzhavin paid little attention to the position and connections of the persons with whom he dealt. In the end, the war with Pugachev did not bring external differences to Gabriel Romanovich, and he was almost subject to a military court.

Portrait of Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin. Artist V. Borovikovsky, 1811

In 1776 through A. A. Bezborodko he submitted to the Empress a letter calculating his merit and asking for a reward. By a decree on February 15, 1777, Gavriil Romanovich was granted a collegiate councilor and at the same time received 300 souls in Belarus. On this occasion, Derzhavin wrote "Outpouring of a grateful heart to Empress Catherine II." Six months after his resignation, Derzhavin, thanks to his acquaintance with Prosecutor General A.A. Vyazemsky, received the position of executor in the Senate. In 1778 Derzhavin married Katerina Yakovlevna Bastidona. The marriage was successful; the aesthetic feeling of his wife did not remain without influence on the work of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. In 1780 Derzhavin was transferred to the post of adviser to the newly established expedition of state revenues and expenditures. By order of Vyazemsky, Derzhavin wrote a code for this institution, which was published in full Assembly Zap. (XXI, 15 - 120). Disputes with Vyazemsky forced Derzhavin to leave his service in the Senate and retire (1784) with the rank of a full state councilor.

By this time Derzhavin had already acquired a glorious literary name in society. Gavriil Romanovich wrote while still in the gymnasium; in the barracks he read Kleist, Gagedorn, Klopstock, Haller, Gellert and translated "Messiada" in verse. The first original work to appear in print in 1773 was an ode to the first marriage of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Upon his return from the Volga region, Derzhavin published Odes translated and composed at Mount Chitalagai. There were, in addition to translations of the ode To the death of Bibikov, To the nobles, To the birthday of Her Majesty, etc. Derzhavin's first works were imitations of Lomonosov. But Derzhavin in his work did not at all succeed in the soaring and unnatural manner that distinguished Lomonosov's poetry. Thanks to the advice P. A. Lvova, V.V. Kapnist and I.I.Khemnitser, Gavriil Romanovich refused to imitate Lomonosov and took Horace as an ode. "Since 1779," writes Derzhavin, "I have chosen a very special path, guided by the instructions and advice of my friends." Derzhavin placed his odes mainly in the St. Petersburg Bulletin without a signature: Songs to Peter the Great (1778), epistle to Shuvalov, To the death of Prince Meshchersky, Klyuch, To the birth of a porphyry youth (1779), To absence of the empress in Belarus "," To the first neighbor "," To the rulers and judges "(1780).

All these works, with their sublime tone, brilliant, vivid pictures, drew the attention of literary lovers to Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin, but not society. In the latter, Derzhavin became known for the well-known "Ode to Felice" (see full text, summary and analysis), published in the first book "Interlocutor of lovers of the Russian word" (1783). Derzhavin received for her a snuffbox, showered with diamonds, with 50 ducats. "Felitsa" put Derzhavin high in the opinion of Catherine II, the court and the public. In "Interlocutor" Derzhavin published "Thanks to Felitsa", "Vision of Murza", "Reshemysl" and, finally, "God" (see the summary and full text). With the last poem, Derzhavin reached the climax of his glory. At the very institution Russian Academy Derzhavin was elected a member and took part in the dictionary of the Russian language.

In 1784 Derzhavin was appointed governor of the Olonets governorship, but Derzhavin immediately began to have troubles with the governor Tutolmin and a year and a half later the poet was transferred to the same position in the Tambov governorship. Gavriil Romanovich held the post of Tambov governor for about 3 years. With his energetic activity, Derzhavin brought benefit to the province, introduced better serviceability in the administration of recruitment, improved the structure of prisons, and fixed roads and bridges. But here, too, the independent course of action, Derzhavin's hot temper, provoked an argument with the governor. In 1788 Derzhavin was put on trial and obliged to not leave Moscow, where the case was to be carried out. In 1789 the Moscow Senate, having considered Derzhavin's case, found that he was not guilty of any abuse of office. Seeing the gracious attitude of the empress, who approved the decision of the Senate, Derzhavin wrote the ode "The Image of Felitsa", and, referring to the patronage of the new favorite Platon Zubov, dedicated odes "To Moderation" and "To Lyre" to him. The ode To the Capture of Ishmael, written at the same time, was a great success. Gavriil Romanovich received a snuffbox of 200 rubles. When Potemkin arrived in Petersburg, Derzhavin had to maneuver between the two favorites. The death of Potemkin on the banks of the Prut caused one of the most original and majestic poems in Derzhavin's work - "Waterfall". Derzhavin's rapprochement with Dmitriev and Karamzin dates back to this time; the latter attracted him to participate in his "Moscow Journal". Here Derzhavin placed "A Song to a House Loving Science" (Count Stroganov), "On the Death of Countess Rumyantseva", "Majesty of God", "Monument to a Hero".

In 1796 Derzhavin was ordered to be with the Empress when accepting petitions. Gabriel Romanovich failed to please her: in life he could not flatter so subtly as in poetry, he was irritable and did not know how to stop reports unpleasant to Catherine II during the time. In 1793 Derzhavin was appointed senator for the land surveying department, and a few months later he was also given the post of president of the commercial college. In his senatorial activity, Derzhavin was distinguished by his extremely intransigence to those opinions that he considered incorrect. And since his love of truth was always expressed in a harsh and rude form, here too Derzhavin had many official grievances. The wife of Gabriel Romanovich died in 1794; He dedicated the elegiac poem "Swallows" to her memory. Six months later, Derzhavin entered into a new marriage with D. A. Dyakova. In 1794 Derzhavin wrote the ode To Nobility, dedicated to the praise of Rumyantsev, and To the capture of Ishmael. His last odes during the life of Catherine II were: "On the birth of Queen Gremislava" (message to Naryshkin), "The Athenian knight" (Alexei Orlov), "Ode to the conquest of Derbent" (in honor of Valerian Zubov), "On the death of a benefactor" ( I. I. Betsky). Finally, Derzhavin presented Catherine II with a handwritten collection of his works, prefixing him with the "Tribute to the Monarchine." Even before the death of the Empress, Derzhavin wrote "Monument" (see the summary and full text), in which he summarized the significance of his poetry. The epoch of Catherine II saw the flowering of Derzhavin's talent and its main significance in the poems of this era. Derzhavin's poetry is a monument to the reign of Catherine II. "In this heroic age of Russian history, events and people with their gigantic dimensions exactly corresponded to the boldness of this original fantasy, the scope of this wide and wayward brush." A whole epic of the era lives in the work of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin.

Derzhavin's creative activity dwindled. In addition to epigrams and fables, Gabriel Romanovich began to write more tragedies. He himself was sure of their dignity, but in fact, Derzhavin's dramatic works are below criticism. (Dobrynya, Pozharsky, Herod and Mariamna, Atabalibo, etc.). The discourse on lyric poetry, read in the "Conversation", dates back to 1815. Derzhavin already considered it necessary to comment on his works and himself made "explanations" to them. Feeling the need to find out the real nature of his biography and official activity, so rich in vicissitudes, Derzhavin wrote Notes published in Russkaya Beseda in 1812; they caused an unfavorable impression with their subjective assessment of persons and events. In this last period of his life, following the spirit of his time, Derzhavin tried to give a place to the folk language in his work. The awakening of the study of the Russian nationality caused Derzhavin's pseudo-folk ballads and romances (Tsar Devitsa, Novgorod wolf Zlogor). The most successful of these poems was "To the Ataman and the Don Army." Derzhavin, even in retirement, did not stop responding to the events taking place around him (On Peace 1807, Complaining, Lyroepic hymn to drive out the French, etc.). In retirement, Derzhavin lived in St. Petersburg during the winters, and in the summer on his estate in Novgorod province. "Zvanka". Gabriel Romanovich described his village life in a poetic message to Evgeny Bolkhovitinov. Derzhavin died in Zvanka on July 8, 1816.

In the 19th century, Derzhavin's creative style seemed outdated. IN aesthetically poems by Gavriil Romanovich amaze with their amazing chaos: amid rhetorical pathos, we also discover the brilliance of real poetic talent. Likewise, the language of Derzhavin, abundant folk speech, achieves extraordinary smoothness and lightness in some poems, in others it becomes unrecognizable in its severity. From a historical and literary point of view, the ode to Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin is important in that it introduced elements of simplicity, joke and vitality into the strained and far from life Lomonosov ode. His work reflected his clear satirical mind, his ardent disposition, common sense, alien to any morbid sentimentality and cold abstraction.

Critics' views on Derzhavin changed. After the reverence that surrounded his name, there came a period of denial of any meaning behind him. Only the works of D. Groth written before the revolution on the publication of the poet's works and biography made an impartial assessment of his work possible.

On July 14, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin (1743-1816), a famous Russian poet of the 18th century, a representative of classicism, was born, statesman, Minister of Justice (1802-1803).

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Derzhavin's fables

The young Derzhavin did not succeed in getting a brilliant education. His first teachers were churchmen: a sexton and a sexton. Subsequently - German convict, teacher private school... And, finally, training at the Kazan gymnasium, which he did not have the opportunity to finish. Young Gabriel was summoned to Petersburg in 1762 and assigned to the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. The future poet pulled the strap as a simple soldier for ten years.

Gabriel Romanovich had an explosive character, quarrelsome, but he himself thought that he was suffering "for the truth." With regard to literary creativity, Derzhavin believed that doing this is possible only "in their free time from service", "they are free from office during hours." Nevertheless, in terms of the volume of written works, the Russian poet is one of the most productive authors.

Derzhavin's work, including elements of novelty, appears before his contemporaries in a different form than the work of his predecessors, mainly the composer of odes, Mikhail Lomonosov. The poet himself was aware of this. IN " expression and calmness tried to imitate Mr. Lomonosov ... but, wanting to soar, could not withstand the constantly beautiful set of words inherent in the only Russian Pindar splendor and splendor. And for that, from 1779 he chose a completely different path. "

He demonstrated this “other way” by writing the famous ode “Felitsa”. It would seem that it is also a laudatory ode, but, along with the pretentious moods that usually dominate in the ode, it contains a poignant socio-political pamphlet. The image of Felitsa - Catherine is virtuous, but she is contrasted with the dubious figures of her "Murz", "Pasha", in which one can recognize various representatives of the highest court nobility. "Not imitating your murzas ..."

The syllable with which the ode is written is nontrivial - taken from everyday life, familiar, light, colloquial speech, the opposite of the bombastic bombast of Lomonosov's odes.

"Felitsa" was highly appreciated by contemporaries.

Praise of Catherine is one of the themes that run like a red thread in the writings of Derzhavin, but along with it, another main motive of his work is clearly manifested - the theme of the witty attitude towards the court nobility, towards the boyars.

Derzhavin's work is multifaceted: it reflects the heroic experiences of his time and class, as well as the familiar life of noble Russia. Derzhavin's ideal is to be content with little, adhere to "Moderation" of the unpretentious family life of the "poor nobleman". Contrary to this, it is completely unacceptable for him to praise the "harmful luxury of the nobles."

Derzhavin's work is strong in its novelty and truthfulness. The poet is obsessed with the need to tell about Catherine's time: a period of fabulously magnificent celebrations, "thundering choirs", an endlessly joyful "radiant" era in the life of the Russian nobility.

Gabriel Romanovich has seen a lot. Pugachevism was not unfolding in his eyes. He witnessed Catherine's temporary workers soaring high and rapidly falling. Yes, and he himself - sometimes on a "horse", then without him. "I am a king - I am a slave, I am a worm - I am a god».

Derzhavin sang the controversial nature of life in the ode "Waterfall". What is a waterfall? This is a "diamond mountain", falling into the valley with a "thundering roar". It is very easy for her to “get lost” in the shadow of the “deaf forest”. The image of the waterfall is similar to the life fate of one of the most notable figures of the eighteenth century. "The son of happiness and glory" - "the magnificent prince of Taurida", Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavrichesky. But not only him. The image of the waterfall is a sign of the times, a symbol of the Catherine's era.

The works of Derzhavin, a chronicler of his era, faithfully recreate the characters and contradictory customs of the 18th century.

“Fearing their bold deeds, the world marveled;
Derzhavin and Petrov sang a song to the heroes
With the strings of thundering lyres. "
A. Pushkin

Whatever Derzhavin writes - the collection "Old and New", "Odes translated and composed at Mount Chitalagai in 1774," in St. Petersburg "," Waterfall "," For the birth of a porphyry youth "," For the death of Prince. Meshchersky "," Key ", odes" God "," On the capture of Ishmael "," Grandee "," Bullfinch "- all these works immortalized him. A.S. Pushkin wrote: "Derzhavin, translated over time, will amaze Europe."

Derzhavin's work has not been fully studied, scientific research still waiting in the wings.

What is first remembered at the mention of the name of G.R. Derzhavin? The ceremonial hall at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the agitated old poet, who, putting his hand to his ear, listens attentively to a curly-haired young man reciting his poems at a public examination. Years later, the boy, who became the greatest Russian poet, wrote in the novel "Eugene Onegin":

… Success was the first to inspire us.

Old man Derzhavin noticed us

And going down into the coffin, he blessed ...

"Father of Russian Poets" G.R. Derzhavin was born in 1743 into a poor noble family. The child was so weak and frail that the parents resorted to the old folk remedy: they covered it with dough and put it in a cool oven. The firstborn survived, grew up as a lively and intelligent boy, learned to read and write early, became addicted to drawing, easily learned the German language. When he was 11 years old, his father died, and a small estate was seized from the widow by wealthy neighbors: so with early years Derzhavin learned what injustice is and how poor people who are defenseless before the law can suffer.

Derzhavin dreamed of studying in the Corps of Engineers, but there was a confusion in the papers, and the distressed young man went to serve as a soldier in the Preobrazhensky regiment. Service in the guard demanded money: where could mother get it? However, the mother managed to collect a small amount and, together with the blessing, gave her son an old ruble of Peter's minting, which Derzhavin had kept all his life.

The service took up a lot of time and effort: at night the young man read books and wrote poetry, drawing and music lessons had to be abandoned. In 1762 he participates in palace coup who elevated Catherine II to the throne. Under the name of Felitsa, she will appear in his odes, praising the virtues of the enlightened monarch.

After ten years of service, Derzhavin, whose poems were read and sung by his regimental comrades, was promoted to officer. In 1772, he could not even think that he would ever become a real privy councilor, which corresponded to the rank of general. In 1773, he already commanded the detachments that pacified the "Pugachevites", and even participated in the secret commission of inquiry on the Emelyan Pugachev case. Four years later, he entered the civil service, got married and took up what he loved - poetry. It must be said that Derzhavin treasured the sovereign's service very much and wrote only when, once again, falling out of favor because of his principles and honesty, which he demanded from the others, he resigned. And there was a lot of service: Derzhavin managed to be the Olonets and Tambov governors, the cabinet secretary of the empress herself, the president of the Commerce Collegium, the senator, the state treasurer, the minister of justice and the prosecutor general.

Serving at court, Derzhavin had seen enough of the lazy and dishonorable nobles, whom he satirically depicted in the ode "Felitsa" (1782). The name of the title character in Latin means "happiness" - that was the name of the good sorceress from "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlorus", which Empress Catherine II wrote for her grandchildren. It is not difficult to guess from whom the fair queen Felitsa was written off. Whole year The ode lay in Derzhavin's table, then he gave it to a friend to read, and he shared the magnificent text with his friends. A few days later, the ode reached Catherine and she really liked it. She laughed heartily at the satirical portraits of her ministers, giving each a copy with underlined lines describing one or another courtier. Thus, the talented poet made himself many enemies at court, but acquired patronage in the person of the empress.

After only two years, Derzhavin was sent into honorary exile due to a conflict with the prosecutor general. On the way to his mother's estate, he spent the night at an inn and for several days wrote lines that suddenly dawned on him while on the way. Ode "God", created in the best traditions of scientific odes by M.V. Lomonosov, praised man and the omnipotence of the human mind.

Numerous resignations, dismissals from state affairs did not make the poet a cunning and cunning courtier and did not teach him anything: when in 1795 he decided to publish the first collected works, the amazed empress, who received a notebook with drawings with his own handwritten as a gift, saw on one of the the first pages are the following lines:

Kings! - I thought you gods are powerful,

No one is the judge over you, -

But you, like me, are similarly passionate

And as mortal as I am.

And you will fall like that

How will a withered leaf fall from the tree!

And you will die like that,

How will your last slave die!

The ode to "Sovereigns and Judges" infuriated the Empress - the collection of poems was never published. But throughout Russia, handwritten copies of Derzhavin's notebook were distributed, hundreds of people kept his poems as the greatest treasure.

Under Paul I, Derzhavin practically did not write odes: he quickly became disillusioned with the new emperor and did not want to praise him. Instead, he composed the so-called "light poetry": songs, idylls, messages. By the name of the ancient Greek poet Anacreon, or Anacreon (c. 570 - c. 485 BC), poetry praising freedom and solitude, love, enjoyment of life, was called "Anacreontic lyricism", or "Anacreontica":

... We will refuse to sing the heroes,

And we will begin to sing love ...

("To the lyre")

Derzhavin's best friend was the disgraced commander A.V. Suvorov. Already ill, he asked the poet what epitaph, that is, a posthumous poem, a friend would write for him. Derzhavin answered without hesitation that the words "Here lies Suvorov" would have been the best epitaph for Suvorov, since this name is already very well known and speaks for itself. This line is indeed inscribed on the commander's grave, and Derzhavin, returning from the funeral, heard a tame bullfinch in a cage whistling a military march. Thus was born one of the best "death poems" in Russian literature, a little ode "Snigir" (1800).

Derzhavin spent the last years of his life at the Zvanka estate, about which he lovingly wrote in the poem “Eugene. Life of Zvanskaya "

According to critics, it was the poetry of the 1800s-1810s that determined Derzhavin's place in Russian literature, which the famous critic V.G. Belinsky called it shortly and simply - "the father of Russian poets."

When Pushkin saw Derzhavin at the Lyceum in 1815, he was already old and very ill. The poems of the young lyceum student awakened in him sincere joy that his successor in the poetic field appears in Russia. He himself has long summed up his work, rightly believing that his poetry gives him the right to respect and memory of posterity ("Monument", 1795).

Source (abridged): Literature: Grade 8: 2 hours Part 1 / BA Lanin, L.Yu. Ustinova; ed. B.A. Lanina. - M .: Ventana-Graf, 2015

Poetic fate Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin unusual, as, incidentally, unusual and extraordinary all of his life path... A brave, but penniless soldier of the Preobrazhensky regiment, who pulled a soldier's strap until he was twenty-nine years old. A loyal campaigner, however, daring to cut off the Empress herself in mid-sentence. Minister of Justice, an important dignitary and nobleman who owns one and a half thousand serfs. Nothing seemed to foreshadow that this man with a simple, rude face, democratic manner of communication, decisive gestures, sharp but expressive speech would become a generally recognized great poet of Russia at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. That his lyric poems will amaze his contemporaries with the sincerity of the sound and the picturesque brilliance of the syllable. But the main thing is that they will see in them unexpectedly true reality and themselves. Derzhavin's creativity, according to V.G. Belinsky, was "the first step towards the transition of Russian poetry in general from rhetoric to life."

Derzhavin is a native of the small local noble milieu of the former Tatar lands of the Kazan province. Probably, in ancient times, the Derzhavin family was considered noble. But by the time of the birth of Gavrila, his father, a low-ranking serviceman, as the poet himself says, "had behind him, according to the division with five brothers, peasants only ten souls." The boy was eleven years old when his father died. Poverty accompanied Derzhavin's childhood. The basics of grammar and arithmetic were taught to him by his father's garrison colleagues or random people, for example, the bayonet-cadet Poletaev. His own Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin from the comedy "The Minor" by D.I. Fonvizin seems to write off Gavrila's teachers. Only at the age of sixteen, Derzhavin managed to enter the Kazan gymnasium, where he distinguished himself with the ability to draw with a pen and make drawings. For his academic success he would be “written down,” as they said at the time, to the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. As a nineteen-year-old boy he will become a soldier, and only ten years later will he be promoted to the junior officer rank of warrant officer ("first officer rank, 14th grade").

What was the reason for the slow advancement of a young intelligent, energetic man who knows his own worth? Last but not least - poverty, ignorance and lack of protection. And yet, not only that! Derzhavin was always distinguished by his "restless" character: straightforward and quarrelsome. In this man, in an amazing way, heterogeneous principles were combined. Careerism and uncompromising behavior. Loyalty to his superiors and furious, "arbitrary" attacks on the boss, if Derzhavin thought that he was dishonest in his actions. Natural strength of character, enterprise and rare talent helped the transforming soldier to become in time the most noble nobleman and the first poet. At the same time, he remains himself: a democratic and decent person who has not lost either self-respect or respect for worthy people.

When considering monumental monument Catherine II, built in the very center of St. Petersburg in front of the former Alexandrinsky Theater more than a hundred years ago, once again affirms this idea. The figure of Derzhavin in the upper tier of the monument was made by the sculptor A. Opekushin. She is almost the only one among the figures of other courtiers surrounding Catherine, depicted standing and looking proudly in a completely different direction than the Empress. Was the sculptor's intention to emphasize the poet's isolation, his independent position at court? Maybe. Opekushin, a native of peasants, at first self-taught, and only then - a graduate of the Academy of Arts, managed to preserve both democracy and freedom of judgment, independent of opinion the mighty of the world this. Derzhavin's spirit could be very close to him.

In 1773 peasant uprising, headed by Pugachev, captured the Volga lands. Derzhavin with a detachment was sent to the southern regions of the Saratov province to suppress the revolt. He never encountered the famous leader of the rebels, but he did not receive any special awards or privileges from the command. In 1777 he retired and began civil service. Derzhavin's track record is rich and varied. Position in the Senate; Olonets, then Tambov governor; the secretary of the Empress Catherine II herself; president of the commercial board; Minister of Justice. He quarreled and fought with colleagues and superiors at every place of his assignment. Everywhere I was looking for the truth, I established a fair order. They stubbornly got rid of him, and at the same time he was needed. His energy was indomitable, his honesty genuine. He made mistakes, but more often he made good moves in life.

In 1782, not yet very famous poet Derzhavin wrote an ode dedicated to the "Kirghiz-Kaisak princess Felitsa". Oda was called that "To Felitsa"... Derzhavin became famous. The new literary magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word", which was edited by the Empress's friend Princess Dashkova, and published in it by Catherine herself, opened with the ode "To Felitsa". They started talking about Derzhavin, he became a celebrity.

Derzhavin's career took off again. More than once, climbing the career ladder, he "will resort to his talent." But he will still remain straightforward and audacious even with the most supreme authority. Already during the reign of Paul I (Catherine II died in 1796), he, a high-ranking official, would be rude to the unpredictable emperor in his actions. The latter would get angry and send an order to the Senate to remove Derzhavin from office: "For an obscene answer he has committed in front of us, he is referred to his former place." I had to write an ode again, now glorifying Paul. He was replaced on the throne of Paul I by his son and beloved grandson of Catherine, Alexander I. He treated the poet quite favorably and in 1802 appointed him minister of justice. There were no clashes with the new tsar, however, and Derzhavin did not serve for long. In 1803, he finally retired with the highest state rank. He had orders, honorary titles, a wonderful house in Petersburg and an estate on the banks of the Volkhov. But, most importantly, this dignitary was the recognized "first poet" of Russia, an indisputable judge and authority in all literary affairs of that time.

In 1815, the poet was invited as a guest of honor to a public examination at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. None an important event culture was not complete without the presence of "old man Derzhavin". The poet was old and decrepit. He knew that he would not live long and, never suffering from modesty, he was tormented by the fact that "there was no one to give the lyre to." There is no poet in Russia who would worthily continue his work. Derzhavin dozed, sitting at the table of examiners and distinguished guests. And I did not immediately understand where the magnificent lines of poems that sound in the ceremonial hall came from. The curly-haired youth read them loudly and excitedly. What was the old poet thinking then? That there is someone who is not afraid and not ashamed to pass on his primacy in Russian poetry? That you can finally safely leave the light here?

That's how the curly-haired lyceum student himself, A.S. Pushkin, later recalled this exam: “As we learned that Derzhavin would come to us, we all got excited. Delvig went out on the stairs to wait for him and kiss his hand, the hand that wrote“ Waterfall. ”Derzhavin was very old. Our exam tired him very much. He sat with his head on his hand. His face was meaningless, his eyes were dim, his lips were drooping: his portrait (where he is presented in a cap and a dressing gown) is very similar. He dozed until then, until the exam in Russian literature began. Then he perked up, his eyes sparkled; he was completely transformed. Of course, his poems were read, his poems were understood, his poems were constantly praised. He listened with extraordinary vividness. Finally they called me. I read my "Memories in Tsarskoe Selo, "standing a stone's throw from Derzhavin. I am unable to describe the state of my soul: when I came to the verse where I mention the name of Derzhavin, my adolescent voice rang out, and my heart beat with delightful delight ... I do not remember how I ended your reading, I don't remember where I ran away. Derzhavin was delighted; he demanded me, wanted to hug me. They looked for me, but they didn't find me. "

This is the life path of Derzhavin. It is no coincidence that we followed him with such thoroughness: he explains a lot in the creative life of the poet and in his innovative approach to poetry. Isn't it unusual that Derzhavin's very introduction to literature is unusual? Kantemir, Trediakovsky, Lomonosov, Sumarokov, which were discussed in the previous chapters, studied a lot and thoroughly. For many years they comprehended the theory and practice of poetry. Then they left their own to the descendants literary theories and teachings. Derzhavin took a different path. Through the thick of everyday life, office troubles and victories, he made his way to the basics of the literary craft for a long time and, as a mature man, began to comprehend its foundations. It happened spontaneously and disordered.

Derzhavin Gavriil Romanovich, whose biography formed the basis of this article, forever entered Russian history not only as an outstanding poet and playwright, but also as a statesman, who has gone from a private guard to the head of the Ministry of Justice. Having had a huge impact on further development Russian literature, he became at the same time a model of a true citizen and patriot.

Childhood of a young poet

Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin was born on July 14, 1743 in the ancestral village of Sokury near Kazan. The family had many children, and due to the early death of its head - Roman Nikolaevich - the mother of the future poet - Fyokla Andreevna - could not give the children a proper education. Frequent travels caused by various everyday circumstances also hindered this.

Nevertheless, while studying at the Orenburg school, and then at the Kazan gymnasium, young Gavriil Derzhavin early became addicted to classical Russian poetry, the highest examples of which at that time were the poems of M. Lomonosov, V. Trediakovsky and A. Sumarokov. His first own poetic experiments date back to this time. However, the early poems of the beginning poet came out somewhat clumsily and awkwardly - the lack of knowledge of the basics of versification and the opportunity to consult with someone more experienced in this area affected.

Army service

In 1762, Gabriel Derzhavin was assigned as a private in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment, which took part in a coup d'état, which resulted in the accession to the throne of Empress Catherine II. The years spent in the army, according to the poet's own admission, were the most bleak period of his life. Heavy soldier's service took up almost all the time and effort, allowing you to write poetry only in rare free moments.

Subsequently, Gabriel Derzhavin, briefly describing in his memoirs the features of army life, said that in those years he was often attached to the common vice of the guards regiments - playing cards. Moreover, finding himself in an environment where cheating flourished, he quickly learned their roguish tricks, and only thanks to "God and motherly prayers" - this is how he wrote in his memoirs, did not slip to the bottom of society.

On the eve of a future career

Since 1772 further biography Gabriel Derzhavin took a different direction: he was promoted to officer, and in the period from 1773 to 1775 he took part in the work of the state commission investigating the circumstances of the Pugachev revolt.

Experiencing severe material difficulties, Gabriel Romanovich turned to the empress herself for help, since in those days the autocrats did not hesitate to read the letters of their subjects. His direct superior, commander-in-chief of the troops, General-in-Chief A. Bibikov, attached his own report to the message, in which he highly appreciated Derzhavin's merits in "establishing law abiding among Kalmyks." As a result, very soon the young man was awarded the rank of collegiate counselor and became the owner of 300 serf souls, bestowed upon him by the empress personally.

First marriage and the acquisition of creative maturity

In the same 1775, another important and joyful event took place in the life of Gabriel Derzhavin - he got married. His wife was the sixteen-year-old girl Catherine Bastidon, whose father was once the valet of the murdered sovereign Peter III, and his mother - the nurse of the future Emperor Paul I. As befits a true poet, Derzhavin sang his chosen one in verse, calling her Plenira - from the verb “to captivate”.

Most researchers of the poet's work consider these years to be the period of his acquisition of his own literary style, which made it possible to create a cycle of outstanding works in the genre of philosophical lyrics. At the same time, his works began to be published for the first time, but did not bring the author wide popularity in literary circles.

The golden snuffbox from the hands of the empress

Glory came to Derzhavin only after writing the ode "Felitsa", dedicated to Empress Catherine II. In this work, full of the most loyal feelings, the author presented the Russian autocrat as the ideal of an enlightened ruler and mother of nations.

Such obvious flattery, clothed in a highly artistic form, did not remain without due reward. The "Mother of Nations" presented the poet with a golden snuff-box, strewn with diamonds and filled with chervonets, after which Gabriel Romanovich's career went uphill. Appointments to various high positions followed one after another, however, the peculiarities of Derzhavin's character prevented him from getting along with other officials and served as the reason for frequent transfers from place to place.

At the head of the Olonets region

In 1776, the previously created Olonets province was transformed into a viceroyalty, and by a decree of the Empress Gabriel Derzhavin was appointed her first governor. Among other things, his duties included monitoring the observance of the rule of law by all officials subordinate to him. This turned out to be the cause of many troubles that soon followed.

In those early years, embezzlers were not yet called corrupt, but this did not diminish them. Theft was widespread, and the expression "to take by rank" even entered into use. This meant that petty bureaucrats could "bite" with impunity only a fraction of what they had access to. Mid-level officials were tacitly allowed to profit in a much larger volume, but all, “by a greedy crowd, standing at the throne,” as M.Yu. Lermontov, - they ran their hand into the treasury to the very elbow with impunity.

It is with these iniquities that once happened in Russia, and Gabriel Romanovich faced in his new post. Being a decent and law-abiding man, he tried to fight the evil surrounding him to the best of his ability, but as a result he only made numerous ill-wishers both in the structures under his jurisdiction and in court circles, which was the reason for his subsequent resignation.

Nevertheless, over the years spent as governor, and having a residence, first in Petrozavodsk, and then in Tambov, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin managed to do a lot of good deeds before resigning. So, through his work, the first Tambov theater was opened, a city school was built, a hospital for the poor opened its doors and a printing house began to work.

Cabinet Secretary of the Empress

The next step on the career ladder of Gabriel Derzhavin was the service as the personal cabinet-secretary of Catherine II. Leaving aside the slander that fell on the poet from all sides, the Empress brought him closer to her as a token of gratitude for the ode written in her honor.

But Gavriil Romanovich could not resist in this position for a long time, because he used to report on all cases, presenting them in a true, and sometimes unsightly, light, which greatly upset his benefactress. He bothered her with constant intercessions for those in need and suffering from injustice. In the end, the empress got tired of him, and she sent him out of sight - transferred to the Senate.

Creator of the first Russian anthem

While in this honorary exile, Derzhavin created his own famous work... In 1791, inspired by the news of the capture of the Turkish fortress Izmail by the Russian troops under the command of AV Suvorov, he wrote the poem "Thunder of Victory, Thunder Out." Set to music by the composer Osip Kozlovsky, over the next years it was the official anthem of Russia, which was replaced only in 1833 by the famous "God Save the Tsar", written by another outstanding Russian poet - V. Zhukovsky in collaboration with the composer A. Lvov.

Remarriage

In 1794, the wife of Gabriel Romanovich died - the muse, whom he once glorified in poetry, giving her the romantic name of Plenira. After a year, the still far from old widower remarried. He joined his fate with Daria Alekseevna Dyakova, who also became the heroine of his poems, this time under the name of Milena.

Both marriages of the famous poet, although filled with love, turned out to be childless. Not having their own offspring, the couple raised the children of the deceased family friend P. Lazarev. One of them - Mikhail - later became a famous admiral, discoverer and explorer of the Arctic.

Career peak

During the reign of Paul I, Derzhavin served as president of the Commerce Collegium and state treasurer, and Alexander I, who ascended the throne after that, appointed him minister of justice. But wherever he served, Gavriil Romanovich tried with all his might to eradicate bribery and embezzlement, which invariably made enemies for himself. In 1803 he applied for the highest name and graduated state activities, devoting himself entirely to literature.

Subsequent life and work of the poet

Even before his resignation, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin loved Zvanka, an estate that belonged to his second wife, Daria Alekseevna. In it he spent last years his life, having written about 60 poems and preparing the first volume of his works for publication. In addition to poetry, works in the field of drama are associated with his name. These include librettos for several operas, as well as the tragedies Herod and Marianne, Eupraxia and The Dark.

Derzhavin's poetry had a tremendous influence on the early work of A.S. Pushkin, who from childhood read his poems and studied them at the Lyceum in the lessons of Russian literature. They had a chance to see each other only once. In 1815 Derzhavin was invited to the lyceum exam, where a very young Alexander Pushkin read in his presence his famous poem "Memories of Tsarskoe Selo". A reproduction of a painting by I.E.Repin, reproducing this episode, is presented in the article. The venerable master, seeing his brilliant successor in the swarthy youth and deeply moved by his poetry, wanted to hug Pushkin, but he fled, being unable to restrain his sobs.

The death of the poet and the subsequent fate of his remains

Death overtook him in 1816 in the Zvanka estate, which, as mentioned above, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin loved before retirement, often visited, and in which he spent the rest of his life. His ashes, transported along the Volkhov to Veliky Novgorod, were buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral, located on the territory of the Varlaam-Khutynsky monastery. Later, his second wife, Daria Alekseevna, was also buried there.

During the Great Patriotic War the monastery ended up in a combat zone and was completely destroyed. The Derzhavins' grave was also badly damaged. In 1959, their remains were reburied, placed in Novgorodsky Detinets, and in 1993, when the 250th anniversary of the poet was celebrated, they were returned to the Varlaam-Khutynsky monastery, which had been revived by that time.

Among the names of outstanding Russian poets who brought glory to Russian literature, Gabriel Derzhavin is invariably mentioned, short biography which was outlined in this article. The study of his life and work has great importance not only from the aesthetic side, but also from the educational side, since the truths that he preached are eternal.